Hi. How much hearing loss do you have?
I am mild to moderate in the mid and high frequencies and my left ear is worse than my right. I have been using Apple Airpod Pro 2s for over a month and they are really excellent for music. I was doing the same as I listened to less and less music too.
I am hearing sounds that I haven’t been able to hear for years and I didn’t know it.
I had a different reaction to the news I was a canidate for HAs. I was happy that there is a path forward to better “hearing”. I got my first set of HAs 7 years ago and I now realize I hated them. They were not properly adjusted to my needs so I didn’t wear them as much as I should have and lived with sub optimal performance and quality of life. You being here, now, will pay off with a much better outcome later.
I just went to Costco to try the HAs that they have.(Rexton, Philips and Jabra) We set aside an hour to give me a few minutes to walk around with each model. Insist on a long appointment and try all three. I found out that I could not understand speech/words while walking around the check-out and food court with the Jabras while I could with the other two.
For me HAs are MUCH more comfortalbe to wear for all day use compared to the AirPods. I have the AirPods and like them but not for the whole day.
I’m LMAO visualizing a teacher in front of a classroom wearing AirPodzzz!!
My main hearing aids are Phonak Sphere but I’m just trying some Signia Active Pro IX and I’m loving them.
Have worn them to a musical (Abingdon Operatic Society - Guys and Dolls), walking the dog with the family up the hill and book club in the pub, and they have been great.
Easier to live with than the RIC spheres (which the back edge of the receiver occasionally digs in my ear) as they are just small (if rather expensive) earbuds. The charging case (with an inbuilt battery) is small and pocketable.
I’ve just got them on first fit at the moment so the sound is a little sharp.
Middle aged here, and very similar - slightly worse loss. Comprehension was what really motivated me to get tested. Yeah, suspecting is one thing, but the reality of "needing can hit hard. But consider this, you’re far ahead of those struggling/denial, and getting an early start as possible pays off later.
If you are a music oriented person, you do need to try Widex, not at Costco, and this could be all the more beneficial as you’re midrange is fine.
While most customers love Costco for HAs, there’s also a lot questions and complaints online. The two Costco HA customers I know are an even split on what they got is any good for them.
Shop around.
Pulling up this post because music has been my major focus/concern since my hearing loss was diagnosed.
Have you asked for help from your audiologist/hearing aid dispenser? Has that person helped you to tweak what you’re using now or suggested a refinement that would allow you to hear the cymbals and other high frequency sounds that you miss?
You (and your requests) deserve to be heard! Try again. Be pleasant and polite, but don’t give up.
My “mild/moderate” hearing loss has driven me almost to despair, but after almost two years of frustration I’m finally making progress.
I’m a retired vocal and instrumental music teacher AND also, a fully certified speech therapist and teacher of the deaf.
I wouldn’t hesitate for one second to walk into either a music class or a therapy session wearing my AirPod Pro 2s, and if there were snickers, I’d explain WHY I was wearing them.
I’ve often had successful conversations with teens and younger kids about “hearing conservation”, and believe me, kids NEED to know how hearing can be lost and what can be done to protect hearing and compensate for hearing loss (when possible).
Thanks for that explanation. Put in those terms, I fully agree.